The 29-year-old will take on Scot Gary Cornish for the right to fight the winner of the clash between Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury for the vacant title, which takes place in Manchester next month.

Sexton and Cornish, unbeaten in 18 fights, will do battle in Glasgow, most likely in September, but having twice defeated Martin Rogan in his own backyard of Belfast, the contest will hold few fears for the Norwich man.

Sexton’s only defeats in 22 outings have come at the hands of Chisora, twice, and David Price, and he faces a tough warm-up fight when boxing returns to Norwich on June 27.

Trainer Graham Everett and promoter Mervyn Turner have lined him up against tough Hungarian Peter Erdos, who has won eight and drawn two of his 14 outings, and has been stopped only once in his career.

“There is little doubt that he will be there until the final bell and provide Sam with exactly the right sort of test in the build-up to his British title challenges later in the year,” said Turner.

“We need to keep giving Sam tough tests. He has made fantastic progress since his comeback, which has not just been limited to the action in the ring. He has made changes to his training patterns and diet plus he has now had two stints training with the world champion Wladimir Klitschko, which has been invaluable experience for Sam. On the last occasion he was elevated to chief sparring partner, such is the progress he has made.

”He has also been around the country sparring and training with the top heavyweights. This has all been part of the overall plan to get him back on track and in the mix for British and other major titles.

“Sam is one of the most talented heavyweights out there and now with the extra ingredients in place, I think he can perform not just at British level but on the world stage, which we aim to demonstrate over the next 12-18 months.”

Tickets for the Norwich fight night, at the Epic Studios on June 27 are available from 07796 206124, 0793 750010 or online at www.shamrockboxing.co.uk.